DALAM MAHKAMAH RAYUAN MALAYSIA

(BIDANG KUASA RAYUAN)

RAYUAN JENAYAH NO:Q-05-49-04
BETWEEN
EMPATI ANAK MAT

APPELLANT
AND

PUBLIC PROSECUTOR

RESPONDENT

CORAM:
James Foong Cheng Yuen, JCA
Wan Adnan Muhamad, JCA
Sulong Matjeraie, JCA

JUDGMENT

The accused was convicted for murder and was

sentenced to death by the High Court Judge sitting in Sibu,
Sarawak on 26th June 2004. The charge against him reads:
That you on the 13th day of August, 1998 at about
2115 hours at road one kilometer from the bazaar
Tanjung Manis, Sarikei, in the state of Sarawak, did
commit murder by causing the death of one CHAN
TAU SOON (m), and that you have committed an
1

offence punishable under section 302 of the Penal

Code.
The facts are extracted from the learned trial judge
ground of judgment. On 13.8.1998 at about 9.00 pm Chan Tau
Soon (the deceased) and Fook Kong Min (PW6) were travelling
on a motorcycle belonging to one Teo Tia Tsim (PW5) along a
road leading to Tanjung Manis bazaar from the Jaya Fuda
factory at Tanjung Manis, Sarikei. The deceased was riding the
motorcycle while Fook Kong Min (PW6) was riding pillion. While
on their journey, PW6 heard a sound, which he described as
phiang. On enquiring from the deceased what the sound
was, and being told nothing, PW6 requested the deceased
to stop. On stopping, the deceased complained to the PW6 of
feeling numb in his right hand and then of unbearable pain
before collapsing. PW6 then sought help from a passing motorcyclist, Samuel ak William Jackson (PW7) who went to Tanjung
Manis and returned with a police vehicle driven by Constable
Hellery ak Tampang (PW8), together with another motor-cyclist
Arman bin Hussaini (PW9). The deceased was put into the
police vehicle and taken to the Tanjung Manis clinic, where he
was attended to by the Hospital Assistant there, Mohamad Ali
Fauzi bin Hassan (PW10), who testified that when the
deceased was brought in at about 9.30 pm on 13.8.1998, he
was unconscious with undetectable blood pressure but had a
slow pulse rate. PW10 applied an intravenous drip to the
2

deceaseds left hand and requested that he be transferred to

the Sarikei Hospital.

According to the PW6, the incident took place along a

stretch of tarred road where there were no shops or residential
houses, only bushes on either side of the road. PW6 said that
when he and the deceased left Jaya Fuda factory that night, it
was drizzling.

Dr Nelson Yap Chie Chong (PW3), the Medical Officer at

Sarikei Hospital testified that on 13.8.1998 at about 10.30 pm,
he examined a young man of chinese descent at the Accident
and Emergency department of the hospital. PW3 concluded
that the person he examined was brought in dead due to
gunshot wounds because there were no vital signs from the
deceased, no pulse rate, no blood pressure, no cardial
monitoring and neurological reflexes. PW3 observed 6 bullet
wounds over the body: 3 to the lateral side of his right arm and
3 other through and through wounds.

On 14.8.1998 an autopsy was conducted at the mortuary

of the Sarikei Hospital, on the person PW3 had seen the night
before. The autopsy was conducted by Dr. Myint Soe (PW22) a
pathologist attached to the Sibu Hospital, while PW3 assisted
him. Inspector Mohd Azmi (PW11) was also present during the
3

autopsy. Before the autopsy was performed, the body of the

deceased was identified to all present by Lim Kok Peng (PW4),
who was the uncle of the deceased.

According to PW22 as a result of his external and internal

examinations of the deceased, he found that severe chest
injury with massive bleedings from gunshot wound caused by 2
pellets to the chest was sufficient in the ordinary course of
nature to cause death of the deceased. PW22`s testimony
regarding the cause of the deceaseds death was not seriously
challenged in the cross-examination.

On 14.8.1998 at about 2.00 am, Corporal Mahmud @

Hamdan bin Majidin (PW1) received a report about the death of
the deceased from Teo Tia Taim (PW5) vide Tanjung Manis
Rpt/36/98). At about 9.00 am on the same day PW24 went to
the scene of the incident with a few police personnel and PW6.
He prepared a sketch plan (P24(A)) and took photographs of
the scene.

In the vicinity of the crime scene, PW24 noticed footprints leading to and from a spot some 10 meters off the left
side of the road, which PW24 believed to be the ambush
position where the person who shot the deceased lay in wait.
However, the mud-blocks with the accuseds foot imprint were
4

not produced as exhibits at the trial because according to

PW24 the mud blocks dried and cracked, causing the outline of
the foot prints to be lost, but before the mud block cracked
photos were taken of them, which photos were produced as
exhibits P21(L), (M),(N) and (O). The police continued their
investigation to trace the suspect in the murder of the
deceased. The police made a search and inquiry in all the
villages and factories in the vicinity area of the incident.

On16.8.1998, two shot guns were seized from Rumah

Jugah, which belong to one Tawan and Mat anak Gabong
(DW5); the accuseds father.

On 21.8.1998 at about 3.00 p.m, while at Tanjung Manis

police station, PW24 received an anonymous telephone call
from a member of public about an Iban father asking a teacher
what will be the punishment could be imposed on his son who
had mistakenly shot someone and had informed him that the
son had disfigured lip. After receiving the said call PW24 did
initial investigation at Rumah Jugah, and found out that DW5`s
son had disfigured lip. On the same day, the police party went
to Rumah Jugah and subsequently the accused was arrested.

On 29.8.1998, the cautioned statement of the accused

(P19) was recorded by ASP Jackson @ George Johem
(PW15). When the prosecution sought to adduce the contents
of P19 as evidence, the defence objected to its admissibility on
the ground that it was not given voluntarily. After trial within a
trial the trial Judge admitted P19.

On 30.8.1998, based on information in P19, PW24 and

police party brought the accused to the crime scene. At the
scene, the accused pointed out to PW24 how he had made his
way to, and left the ambush position, after the shooting. PW24
then prepared sketch plan (P25 (A) & (B)), and photographs
were taken (P17 (a)-(g)). From the scene, the accused was
brought to Rumah Jugah. The accused showed the police
where he kept the shotgun and the cartridges after the incident
on the night of 13.8.1998. A search list (P26) was prepared by
PW24 and a copy issued to Mat anak Gabong.

On 11.9.1998, Lau Cheng Siew @ Low Cheng Siew

(PW2) the chemist did firing 3 rounds on the cartridges seized
by the police from Rumah Jugah using exhibit P11(a). PW2
made a comparison on the characteristic mark with those
cartridges marked exhibit P9 (a) and P10 (a) and found them to
be similar.

In relation to the shot gun (P11(a)) which PW2 had

examined, although the shot gun was not in good condition he
found it serviceable and managed to test fire all the 3 rounds
using the same shot gun.

In summary, what the accused said in P19 was that on

the day before the incident ( 12.8.1998 ), he was sending his
younger brother to school at about 7.00 am when he met a
former classmate named Kusaimi bin Kawi who jeered him
about his ugly looks. The accused said he was deeply hurt by
Kusaimis jeering which had been going on since their school
days and so he decided to teach him a lesson for what he had
done all this time. The accused said that on 13.8.1998 he
decided to kill Kusaimi bin Kawi by ambushing him along a road
leading to Tanjung Manis town. So at about 6.00 pm on the
same day he took a shot gun owned by his father and departed
from his longhouse on a motorcycle and headed for the road
leading to Tanjung Manis town.

According to him when he

took the shot gun, his parents were not at home. On arrival at
the place he selected, the accused said he hid his motorcycle
at the road side then made his way to a spot some 20 feet
away from the road side, where he took up an ambush position
and loaded the shot gun with one of 3 cartridges he was
carrying. According to the accused, Kusaimi usually went to
Tanjung Manis town every night and the accused was able to
recognize the light and sound of the motorcycle Kusaimi
7

frequently used. The accused said that it was dark and drizzling
that night and that several motorcycle passed by his ambush
position but from the sound of their engines he knew it was not
Kusaimis. The accused said that at about 9.00 pm he saw and
heard 2 motorcycles heading towards Tanjung Manis. He
recognized the sound of the second of the two motorcycles
which was travelling behind as that used by Kusaimi, so he
waited until Kusaimis motorcycle was opposite him before he
fired and shot in the direction of his target. The accused said he
then observed the rider of the motorcycle fell down about 20
feet from where he had fired his shot. The accused said that on
moving forward a little from his ambush position he heard
voices speaking in Chinese from the spot where the motorcycle
had fallen. It was then he realized that he might have
mistakenly shot someone else. He said he did not go to check
on that person as he was frightened. Instead, he made his way
back to his longhouse (Rumah Jugah). On arrival back at the
longhouse between 10.00 pm and 11.00 pm, the accused said
he found his father fast asleep. He then put back the shot gun
in the room where it was kept by his father. He also put back
the cartridges and empty casing where they were kept by his
father. The next day (14.8.1998) he overheard people talking
about a person who had been shot dead the previous night. He
then confided and told his father that on the previous night he
had shot someone, not on purpose but by mistake.

I am satisfied that the trial Judge after holding a trial

within trial held that the accuseds cautioned statement (P19)
had been given voluntarily and without compulsion or
inducement. When the main trial resumed, the accuseds
cautioned statement was admitted into evidence through the
recording officer; ASP George Joehem (PW15).

During the hearing of the accuseds appeal before this

court his counsel Mr.Baru Bian contended that the trial Judge
had erred in deciding that the accuseds cautioned statement
(P19) was given voluntarily.He said the accused is an Iban and
the Recording Officer (RO) is a Bidayuh. And there was no
evidence that the RO was fluent in iban language. Mr. Bian
urged this court to ignore P19 because according to him even
though accepted, is of little value; it was Kusaimi bin Kawi that
the accused intended to shoot.

Mr. Bian further submitted that the accused also

emphatically denied that the statement was given voluntarily
when he signed P19.

He said that the accused in his

testimony, pointed out that it was his signature appearing at

bottom left of the pages in P19 but the accused was asked to
sign on those without being told of the purposes for signing.
According to Mr. Bian the accused was told to sign on exhibit
PI9 because he was promised by

TWTPW3 that he would be

9

released immediately. Mr. Bian said the accused was

handcuffed and wearing only his underwear, without any shirt
or trousers and was barefooted when he was brought before
the police officer to whom he gave his statement. Mr. Bian
urged this court to look at the accuseds testimony during
examination in chief.

Upon perusal of the grounds of judgment I find that the

trial Judge had considered the issue of voluntariness and the
alleged oppressive circumstances (page 681 of the Appeal
Record). Therefore I am not going to disturb his finding of facts
as they were appropriately dealt. In his ruling (page 340 of the
Appeal Record) the trial judge said that the handcuffs were
removed from the accused`s hands at a point in time before he
gave his statement remained intact and unaffected. It is my
view that the learned judge made his finding of fact.

See

Francis Antonysamy v. PP [2005] 3 MLJ 389); In Juraimi

Husin v. PP [1998] 2 CLJ 383, it was held that:

A statement made under s.113 of the Criminal Procedure

Code should be made voluntarily and the burden lies
upon the prosecution to prove the voluntariness of such
statement beyond a reasonable doubt, the test applicable
being partly objective and partly subjective. Once a
confession based on such a statement is admitted, a
10

conviction may be based solely on its strength. However,

as a matter of practice and prudence, the court ought to
look for corroboration of the incriminating parts of the
confession. On the facts of the case, there was nothing
improper in the manner in which the statement of the first
appellant was recorded by the officer in charge of the
investigations. The statement was therefore made
voluntarily the product of a free mind, untainted by any
illegitimate pressure.

Mr. Bian further contended that the trial Judge had erred
in his finding that there was sufficient evidence to prove that
the injuries sustained by the deceased were caused by the
accused and in admitting the evidence of a anonymous caller
implicating the accuseds father, as this is a hearsay evidence.
This anonymous caller never testified at the trial to corroborate
what the Investigating Officer (PW24) had said on the matter.
For this, adverse inference must be drawn against the
prosecution under s.114 (g) Evidence Act 1950, for failing to do
so.

Mr. Bian also drew attention to the evidence of the PW24

that three days after the incident, PW24 had seized two shot
guns from Rumah Jugah, one of which (P11(a)) belonged to
the Appellants father, Mat anak Gabong (DW5). P11(a) was
11

already in police custody when PW24 received the anonymous

call on 21.8.1998, about an iban father with a son with a
disfigured lip, making enquiries from a teacher about what the
punishment could be if his son had mistakenly shot someone. It
was this information that led to the arrest of the accused and to
the subsequent cautioned statement given by the accused.

On the above issue the learned trial judge in his judgment

said that, the accused led the police party to the 2nd room
occupied by his parents in Rumah Jugah and retrieved three
cartridges, two of which spent

(P9(a) and P10(a)). The

accused told the police party that of the two cartridges, he had
used the rusty cartridge (P9(a)) to shoot the deceased. Both
exhibits were sent to the Chemistry Department at Kuching for
examination. The evidence of the Chemist (PW2), confirmed
that P9(a) and P10(a) were fired from P11(a).

PW2 also

testified that the two pellets (which were sent to him in a bottle
in envelope (E2)) were shot gun pellets of shot size SG.
PW22 testified that he recovered these two pellets from the
deceaseds chest during the autopsy. I also feel that this is a
finding of facts by the learned trial judge.

Regarding the anonymous call which PW24 received, the

learned trial judge said it was not possible for the prosecution to
produce the caller as a witness. The prosecution did not seek to
12

rely on it to prove the truth of the statement, but the fact that it
was made. As such the learned trial judge was of the opinion
that it was not a case in which adverse inference might be
drawn against the prosecution under s.114 (g) Evidence Act
1950. My view is that the learned trial judge did not misdirect
himself on this issue.

In Pang Chee Meng v. PP [1992] 1 MLJ 137, Abdul

Hamid Omar LP said at page 140 regarding the said section 27
as follows:

The rationale behind this section revolves on the

basis that if a fact is actually discovered in consequence
of information given by the accused in custody some
degree of guarantee is afforded thereby that the
information was true and accordingly can be safely
allowed to be given in evidence overriding the Criminal
Procedure Code and other written law.

In this case, the fact discovered concerns the place from

where the spent cartridge that was used to shoot the deceased
which was produced and the accused`s knowledge of that fact,
and the information supplied by the accused relating distinctly
to the fact thereby discovered was the information about which
cartridge had been used by the accused to shoot the deceased
13

and where the accused had put the spent cartridge on his
return to Rumah Jugah.

The evidence adduced by the prosecution pointed

irresistibly to the conclusion that the two pellets recovered from
the deceaseds body did come from one of the two cartridges.
The admission of the accused that he had used one of those
cartridges (rusty cartridge) (P9(a)) to shoot the deceased; that
he had used his fathers shot gun (P11(a)) to fire the cartridge;
that he fired the shot gun at the deceased at the crime scene
on the night in question; that the pathologist (PW22) recovered
the two shot gun pellets from the deceaseds body; that the
Chemist (PW2) confirmed that the said pellets which he
examined were shot gun pellets and were fired from P11(a)
which he found serviceable. All the evidence above, tended to
confirm and corroborate what the accused had said in his
cautioned statement about how the injuries came to be
sustained by the deceased, therefore sufficiently proved that
the deceased died as a result of the injuries he sustained were
caused or was the result of the act of the accused.

The learned trial Judge had sufficiently considered the

accuseds cautioned statement (P19). He opined that in order
to constitute the offence of murder, the intention to kill that must
be proved is not necessarily an intention to kill an identified
14

person, it is sufficient if an actual intention to kill a human being

is proved (Ismail bin Hussin v PP [1953] 19 MLJ 48; PP v
Sainal Abidin Mading [1998] 3 CLJ 41). What was required is
that the prosecution has to prove that the accused intended to
cause death of the deceased.

Since intention concerns the

state of mind of a person, its existence is to be deduced from

the evidence.

Reverting to the evidence that has been adduced in the

present case, it showed that on the night in question the
accused had set out from his longhouse taking with him his
fathers shot gun. He then selected an ambush position along a
straight stretch of the road, and then waited until he was sure
that the person he wanted to shoot had arrived at his ambush
position before taking aim to discharge the shot-gun at his
target. The irresistible inference is that his intention was to
cause death to that other person.

The accused also had said that he came to realize that he

may have mistakenly shot the wrong person because when he
moved closer to the spot where he saw the rider of the
motorcycle fall, he heard voices speaking in chinese. As a
matter of fact the deceased and his pillion rider Fook Kong Min
(PW6) are chinese. The deceased and PW6 had conversed
with each other before the deceased collapsed. While the
accused said in his cautioned statement that on the day after
15

the shooting he had heard people talking about someone being

shot, he did not say that he heard that it was a chinese was
shot dead. Unless the accused had been at the scene on the
night of the 13.8.1998, he would not have the knowledge that
the voices he heard were speaking in chinese so as to enable
him to suspect that he had shot the wrong person.

According to the learned trial judge (page 714 of the

Appeal Record), the fact that the accused had said he wanted
to kill Kusaimi bin Kawi, while it may provide a purpose or
reason for the accused being at the scene of crime that night,
and the fact that Kusaimi bin Kawi does not know the accused,
does not in any way detract from the fact that the accused had
an actual intention to kill a human being that night. Whether it
was Kusaimi bin Kawi or it was Emran bin Husaini (PW13)
whom

the

accused

wanted

to

kill,

the

circumstances

surrounding the shooting of the deceased, shows that the

accused had an actual intention to kill a human being that night.
And the fact that the accused subsequently came to realize that
he might have shot the wrong person would not in any way
negative the intention to kill a human being because section
301 of the Penal Code provides that:-

If a person, by doing anything which he intends or knows to be

likely to cause death, commits culpable homicide by causing the
death of any person whose death he neither intends nor knows
16

himself to be likely to cause, the culpable homicide committed by

the offender is of the description of which it would have been if he
had caused the death of the person whose death he intended or
knew himself to be likely to cause.

After perusing the learned trial judge grounds of

judgment, I am satisfied that he had given due considerations
to all requirements under the provision of section 300 of the
Penal Code. The trial judge said that the deceased has been
identified as Chan Tau Soon and the deceased died as a result
of injuries inflicted by the accused. The accused had the
intention to cause death. I am in agreement with his finding.
See Tham Kai Yan & Ors. v PP [1977] 1 MLJ 174; Kenneth
Fook Mun Lee v PP [2006] 4 CLJ 359.

In this appeal it is clear that P19 was admitted by the trial

court after TWT proceeding and the court found it to be
voluntarily made. It was admitted as a result of a finding of facts
by the trial court. I am not going to disturb P19: see Francis
Antonysamy v PP [Supra]. From the evidence in P19 coupled
with the circumstantial evidence given by prosecution witnesses
the learned trial judge found that prima facie had been made
out against the accused. Again I find that the said judge came
to the right conclusion.

17

For the above reasons, I am satisfied with the finding of

the trial Judge that the prosecution had proved the element of
mens rea of the charge against the accused, and had
established a prima facie case against him and called him to
enter his defence.

The accused denied causing death of the deceased or

murdering him on the night of the 13.8.1998. He then put
forward an alibi saying that he spent that night with his father
and mother as well as his auntie, uncle, grandfather and
grandmother at their padi hut. The accused did not say where
he was planting padi or where the hut that he had spent that
night was situated, but he said the padi fields were about 2
hour boat ride from Rumah Jugah.

In his defence, the accused (DW1) said that a week

before he was arrested he and his father (DW5) were at padi
fields hut at a place called Semujok to plant padi. He denied
his presence at the crime scene on 13.8.1998. In support of his
alibi defence he called four other witnesses. They were Tuai
Rumah Jugah Ak Anjai (DW2), Chiki Anak Tawan (DW3),
Timah Ak Remang (DW4) and Mat Ak Gabong (DW5). They
were amongst a list of 13 names given by him in his Notice of
Alibi dated 14.7.1999 pursuant to section 402A of the Criminal
Procedure Code.
18

The learned trial judge in his lengthy and exhaustive

grounds of judgment was of the opinion that the evidence of
DW2, DW3, DW4 and DW5 did not have the effect of proving,
supporting, corroborating or establishing in any way the alibi of
the accused. He said the evidence show that the longhouse folk
of Rumah Jugah, including the accuseds family own padi fields
at Semujok and Menjawan which is situated quite far from their
longhouse, which they would plant-up with wet padi in August
of each year. Their evidence also shows that when they went to
their farms, they would stay there overnight, but there is no
conclusive evidence about how long they would remain at their
fields, usually until their food rations ran out which usually
lasted for about one week. But there was also evidence that
even after 2 or 3 days at the farm, the longhouse folks would
return to their longhouse if the need arose. With regard to the
crucial date of 13.8.1998, the trial judge found that the evidence
of DW2, DW3, DW4 and DW5 whether individually or together
as a whole, was unable to establish that the accused was at his
padi field on that date. According to the learned judge all of
them are the accuseds relatives staying in the same Rumah
Jugah.

According to learned trial judge for the defence of alibi,

the accused only needs to establish his alibi on a balance of
probabilities, (Dato Mohktar Bin Hashim & Anor v. PP [1983]
19

2 MLJ 232). After having considered all the evidence relating

to his alibi, the learned trial judge found that the accused has
failed to establish that on the night of 13.8.1998, he was at his
padi field but at Semujok. He rejected the accused`s defence of
alibi.

On the submission by Mr. Bian that the trial Judge had

erred in not accepting the evidence of the defences witnesses
i.e DW2, DW3, DW4 and DW5 on the balance of probability as
credible to prove, support, corroborating or establishing the
defence of alibi, I feel they are devoid of merit. The learned trial
Judge in assessing the accuseds credit at the end of the case
for the defence, including what the accused had said in his reexamination, had found that the accused had not been able to
explain the material contradictions between what was stated in
his cautioned statement (P19) and his evidence in court and
that his credits stands impeached. There was no conclusive
evidence that what he said about him being at the padi hut on
the material night. I am in agreement with the trial Judge when
he found that what was said by DW2, DW3, DW4 and DW5
whether individually or together as a whole, did not have the
effect of proving, supporting, corroborating or establishing in
any way the alibi of the accused. With regard to the crucial date
of the 13.8.1998 the evidence of none of the witnesses was
able to establish that the accused was at his padi field on that
date.

In this case his defence of alibi failed to cast any doubt

20

on the prosecutions case.

My view is that the learned trial

judge was right to hold that the prosecution had proved its case
beyond reasonable doubt against the accused as charged. It is
my considered opinion that the trial judge did not err in his
findings.

In this appeal the prosecution relied on the admission by

the accused in P19 and other circumstantial evidence which the
learned judge accepted. With regard to the acceptance of
circumstantial evidence I would like to highlight certain
authorities which our courts heavily relied time and time again.
See Jayaraman & Ors v PP [1982] 2 MLJ 306; Dato Mohktar
bin Hashim v PP [Supra]; Sunny Ang v PP [1966] 2 MLJ
195; Muniandy & Anor v PP [1973] 1 MLJ 179; PP v Mohd
Bandar Shah Nordin & Anor [2008] 4 CLJ 859.

In Jayaraman & Ors. v PP [Supra], Suffian LP at page

308 quoted Thomson CJ said in Chan Chwen Kong v PP
[1962] 28 MLJ 307 as follows:-

That evidence was entirely circumstantial and what

the criticism of its amounts to is this, that no single piece
of that evidence is strong enough to sustain conviction.
That is very true. It must however be borne in mind that in
cases

like

this,

where

the

evidence

is

wholly
21

circumstantial what has to be considered is not only of

each individual strand of evidence but also the combined
strength of these strands when twisted together to form a
rope. The real question is; is that rope strong enough to
hang the prisoner?

At page 309 Suffian LP had this to say:-

And there is no rule that, where the prosecution is

based on circumstantial evidence, the judge must, as a
matter of law, give further direction that the facts proved
are not only consistent with the guilt of the accused, but
also as to be inconsistent with any other reasonable
conclusion.

And at page 310 he stated,

In our view the irresistible conclusion test only

seems to place on the prosecution a higher burden of
proof that in a case where it depends on direct evidence,
for in fact to apply the one and one only

irresistible

conclusion test is another way of saying that the

prosecution must prove the guilt of the accused beyond
reasonable doubt

22

I do not find any misdirection by the learned trial judge on

facts and on law. It is trite that an appellate court should be
slow in disturbing a finding of facts by the trial judge unless
such finding is clearly against the weight of evidence: per Nik
Hashim FCJ at page 294 in Che Omar Mohd Akhir v PP
[2007] 3 CLJ 281; see also Andy bin Bagindah v PP [2000] 3
MLJ 644.
With regard to the evidence of DW5 (the accused`s
father) the trial judge directed his mind by giving due
consideration that DW5 had used the two cartridges (P9(a))
and P10(a)) to shoot wild boar and monkey with. He felt that
DW5`s testimony on how the two cartridges were used was
inconsistent with the evidence adduced by the prosecution. He
considered DW5`s evidence with suspect as DW5 was not
independent witness.

The learned trial judge rejected the accused`s defence.

He gave plenty of reasons in his judgment and he reasoned
out why he did not accept the evidence of the defence
witnesses. According to

the trial judge`s

finding the said

witnesses are from the accused long house and padi field
which the accused said he was at the material time, is only two
hour boat ride. It is his factual finding that the said witnesses`

23

evidence as a whole or individually failed to establish that the

accused was at his padi field on that night.

The trial judge also rejected the evidence of the accused

as a mere denial. After giving due considerations to whole
evidence before him, he found that the defence failed to raise
reasonable doubt to the prosecution`s case. He also found that
the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.
He found him guilty and convicted him. Death sentence was
imposed on the accused.

For all the above reasons, this court unanimously

dismissed this appeal and affirmed the conviction and sentence
of the trial court.

My learned brothers James Foong Cheng Yuen, JCA

(currently FCJ) and Sulong Matjeraie, JCA having read this
judgment in draft agree with the reasons expressed herein and
to the decision given in this case.

t.t.
(DATO WAN ADNAN BIN MUHAMAD)
Judge
Court of Appeal, Malaysia.
Date: 31July, 2009
24

For Appellant:

Mr. Baru Bian

Messrs. Baru Bian & Co. Advocates
Kuching, Sarawak

For Respondent:

DPP Awang Armadajaya Bin Awang

Mahmud
Kuching, Sarawak

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Cases Referred To:

1.

Francis Antonysamy v PP [2005] 3 MLJ 389;

2.

Juraimi Husin v PP [1998] 2 CLJ 383;

3.

Pang Chee Meng v PP [1992] 1 MLJ 137;

4.

Ismail Bin Hussin v PP [1953] 19 MLJ 48;

5.

PP v Sainal Abidin Mading [1998] 3 CLJ 41;

6.

Tham Kai Yan & Ors. v PP [1977] 1 MLJ 174;

7.

Keeneth Fook Mun Lee v PP [2006] 4 CLJ 359;

Dato Mokhtar Bin Hashim & Anor v PP [1983] 2 MLJ 232;

9.

Jayaraman & Ors. v PP [1982] 2 MLJ 306;

10.

Sunny Ang v PP [1966] 2 MLJ 195;

11.

Muniandy & Anor v PP [1973] 1 MLJ 179;

12.

PP v Mohd Bandar Shah Nordin & Anor [2008] 4 CLJ 859;

13.

Chan Chwen Kong v PP [1962] 28 MLJ 307;

14.

Che Omar Akhir v PP [2007] 3 CLJ 281;

15.

Andy Bin Bagindah v PP [2000] 3 MLJ 644;

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